The Gallagher Family

Gingerbread Fun!

2011-12-14T08:09:00.003-05:00

Is this not the cutest Gingerbread house ever?!?

The girls were so excited to do this with Roy. We've had it for about a week just waiting for him to come back from Minneapolis so that we could do it together. We had so much fun. By the end of it, there were literally sprinkles EVERYWHERE. But I tried to bury my OCD and wait until we were done to clean it up. It really got me into the Christmas Spirit!

And we figured we would get baby boy in the picture too!

Merry Christmas!

Grandfather Mountain

2011-11-18T10:53:00.006-05:00

Last weekend Roy and I decided to go on an over-night trip to Grandfather Mountain. For those of you who are not familiar with it, it's a really old mountain sitting right on the Blue Ridge Mountains.

We drove up Friday night, slept at the hotel and had a fun day hiking, seeing animals and hanging out together. It reminded me why I love hiking so much. I know that may come as a shock, but as long as I don't have to sleep out in the wilderness than I'm fine with spending a day outdoors enjoying the fresh air. Evy seemed to love it too. We had to keep telling her to slow down because she would get way ahead of us. The rocks we were hiking were about the size of Audrey so she required a little extra help. And let's just be honest, I'm not as fast as I was 6 months ago, thanks baby :).

Roy was Audrey's helper since I was focused on my footing. I didn't think it would be a good idea if I took a spill. Roy and Audrey had a blast. At one point Roy kind of lost his footing and he was trying to get his balance. Audrey then put her hands out and said, "Dad, I got you!" Roy started cracking up that his 2 year old daughter has "got him". I don't think she could be any cuter.

All in all, it was a fun weekend and I'm glad we did it. We seriously came up with the idea laying in bed Friday morning (so unlike us :)). Evy and Audrey keep asking when we can go back to the Mountains. Roy and I said we had to wait for the baby to be born but after he comes we'll throw him in a back pack and head back up!

Halloween

2011-11-18T10:13:00.012-05:00

I thought I would do some blogging today because I am stuck at home. The girls got there flu shots on Tuesday. This time around Audrey got the mist just like a big girl! Well, fast forward 24 hours and it looks like Audrey has the flu. She has had a high fever for 2 days, chills, body aches and a slight runny nose. So while I'm here taking sick of my sick baby I figured I might as well get some blogging done since I've been so busy lately!

Now on to the actual title of the post.....Happy Halloween! We had a blast this year. Our ward's trunk or treat was awesome! We even won the scariest Trunk award. Let's just say that I was a little too excited.

Evy was Ariel again. My Mom had spent a small fortune on her Ariel costume for Disney World so we figured we would get one more use out of it. You don't have to convince Evy too hard to dress up as a princess. And can I just say, I love that girls are girly-girls!

Audrey was Snow White. She was the perfect Snow White. The hair just made it. She even let me curl it and put some makeup on. I think I put some eye shadow, blush and lip gloss. And I forgot mascara. I know I'm crazy but I was curious to see how it would look on her. She already has the longest, thick eyelashes. In fact, that was the first thing the nurses said to me as they handed her to me at the Hospital. Back to the topic.... the mascara made her eyelashes go on and on. She sure is going to be a knock out when she gets older (oh no!).

This is the girls on our way to the Trunk-or-Treat:

My brother, sister-in-law and brand new baby, June, were little Red Riding Hood, the grandmother and the Wolf. They were so stinking cute. And I don't think June could get any more adorable!

Audrey put on Sean's wolf gloves. Snow White seriously has some hormone problems, hopefully we can wax off the hair :).

Roy had been planning for weeks that he would be a Mad Scientist. Well, things kind of caught up with him and finally got around to getting his costume together the day of the trunk-or-treat. He drove around for hours looking for a lab coat but couldn't find one. The only one he did find was a lab coat at a Halloween store but it happened to say OB/GYN on it. He thought that wouldn't be appropriate for church :). So he came home a little sad and I mentioned that maybe he should be a nerd (not a far stretch for him normally :)). I must say that he was an awesome nerd! You would not believe the amount of hair gel he has in his hair to make it part down the middle.

And I was a pumpkin. I know that it isn't the most original costume for a pregnant lady but my Mom sure did make an AWESOME pumpkin hat (thanks Mommy)!

Here's a picture of our stellar trunk. In the dark things lit up in it. I promise that it looked scary. Roy made that body in the spider webs that morning. He kept telling the kids that it was his sister in it :).

I'm just going to dump the rest on you:

On actual Halloween, we trick-or-treated for an hour. It was freezing that night so the girls didn't really want to go that far. And before I get on to the pictures I have to tell you something about Audrey. She is obsessed with the moon. Whenever she is out at night she freaks out until she finds the moon. She just loves it. Roy and I joke around that she's going to be an astronaut when she grows up. But that night that we were trick-or-treating she could see the moon. So literally every minute she was pointing to the moon, yelling, "Moon! It's far away!" So this picture is of her pointing at the moon.

That's all folks.........hope you guys had as much fun as we did! We're already talking about what we are going to be next year :).

Pumpkin Pickin'

2011-10-22T15:39:00.006-04:00

We went to the Pumpkin Patch today. We had tried to go On Monday for FHE but as we walked out the door it started raining. So we turned around and headed inside with Evy's tears in the backdrop. We decided to try again today. The weather turned out to be absolutely gorgeous! It is really starting to feel like Fall.....I love it!

The girls gave me a little trouble about taking pictures, but I said they had to look happy or we wouldn't get any pumpkins. Is that manipulation or what? Well, I got cute pictures!

And I figured I might as well take a preggo picture. I've been feeling huge but I think the picture turned out cute!

And I had to get a whole family picture!

Now we're off to carving........

Roy's an Old Fart!

2011-10-22T15:21:00.003-04:00

Roy turned 30 on Wednesday! For his present, I sent him, my Dad, my brother and my brother-in-law paint-balling for an afternoon. It included 3.5 hours of paint-balling, BBQ, a bonfire, and s'mores. They had a blast and I got a great deal on it from living social!

Then this past Sunday we had a big family dinner to celebrate his b-day. My grandpa spent a small fortune on Steak and we had a meal fit for a king! It was yummy. I should have taken a picture of the table because it was crazy! I made pumpkin cake, his favorite, I undercooked it a little bit but we ate around the center. Here's the video of us singing Happy Birthday to him:

Happy Birthday to my favorite Man! He does so much for so many people! And just as a side note, how is it that I have more gray hair than he does!

Evy's School Jamboree

2011-10-22T15:03:00.005-04:00

Evy's School Jamboree was last Friday. Originally we were not going to go but Evy wanted to so badly that we decided to go last minute. I'm really happy we went. Evy was totally in her element. We realized as we walked through the crowd that she has no problem making friends. It seemed that every kid we passed would say Hi to her. It made me feel a little proud of her. I think being friendly is one of the best qualities you can have!

One of the first things we did was get the girls face painted. It took forever but it was well worth it!

I made Roy take a picture with me but he wasn't in a cooperating mood. That man can be a stinker!

Here are the rest of the pictures:

It's a boy!

2011-10-22T14:59:00.002-04:00

This is way late, but.......it's a boy! Roy and I couldn't be happier. I was sure it was a girl, so when she said it was a boy I was very surprised. I'm content with the fact that this will be our last and I'm happy to get past this stage of "making babies". I think it's kind of fun that we'll have the same grouping as my family. Two girls and a boy. And if my kids turn out as happy as my sister, brother and I did, then I'll be a happy Momma. So here's to the new adventure in the Gallagher family!

Evy's 6! Can you believe it?

2011-09-15T13:32:00.004-04:00

Evy turned 6 in August and we had a party at a really fun place where she and her friends got to jump around for an hour. This year I gave her the choice of having a big party or presents. And she chose the big party. She had a blast! And it was so easy to show up and leave when things were done. Ahhhh, the things that $ can buy! But here are some of the pictures from the day.

p.s. I think I actually look pregnant in the family picture!

Aunt Alena Playdate

2011-09-15T13:25:00.004-04:00

I had a work appointment to go to one day and Alena was nice enough to watch Evy for me while Audrey napped. As I walked out the door to leave I see this:

And I thought to myself, she's going to be such a good Mom. Because I would never do that! I had a crazy imagination when I was little and came up with crazy fantasies and had voices for my animals. But as an adult it seems I have lost that touch. And the busy Mommy in me seems to never have time do to things like that. I was so grateful for the love that Alena showed Evy. She's ready to pop these days and I'm so excited to see what a wonderful and beautiful Mother she's going to be!

And because I thought this hooded towel turned out so cute......

I made it for one of Roy's friends from High School and their brand new baby. Which reminds me that I still have to make Alena another one. Baby girl you better stay in there for a little bit longer!

I Know I'm late, but.......Happy 4th of July!

2011-09-13T07:49:00.004-04:00

I know I'm lame. But I just wanted to make sure I included these pictures. We had so much fun at out church celebration. They were the best fireworks I have seen in years. It was pretty hot and sweaty though. My sis-in-law got some cute ones on her blog but these are the ones that I've got!

I was disappointed how this one turned out. I loved our 4th of July picture from last year. It kind of stinks when you don't have anyone to take it for you and there's something smudged on your lens. At least I get credit for attempting at taking it!

Guess who's Potty Trained?

2011-09-11T19:12:00.005-04:00

And guess who's trying to catch up her blog? Me. I've been a bad blogger (It seems like I say that a lot). But back to the actual Title of the post....Audrey's Potty Trained! We spent this past week learning to go to the potty. I seriously hated every minute of it but I'm glad it's over. I say this now, but coincidentally she had an accident at church today. It was diarhea, so I'm hoping she just didn't have anytime to tell me. Let's just say that those panties got a 1-way ticket to the garbage. But other than today, she's been awesome.

I thought this picture was so cute. I think this was taken the first or second day. I promise you she wasn't actually going potty in this picture. But she was loving her elephant this day and we were pumping her full of water. She's just so dang cute!

I'm hoping that in the next week I can get things caught up. I was hoping that when Audrey is taking her nap that I will be able to get some things done. I do have a good excuse for my absence..........

I'm pregnant! I'm 15 weeks and due March 5th. I've been terribly sick. Way more sick than the other pregnancies. I literally spent the whole summer laying on my couch, much to Evy's frustration. But what do you do? I'm finally feeling better and getting back to my normal routine. We're so grateful to be pregnant again. The Ectopic pregnancy and surgery this Spring has taught me to be so very grateful for the gift of life. There are so many people that struggle with infertility and miscarriages. I know that going through my experience has humbled me. And I'm so very grateful for my blessings.

Wow, I got way off track. But that was just something on my mind. I hope to have more "Happy" posts soon!

Swim Swim Swim

2011-06-21T11:51:00.002-04:00

I actually don't think they can swim in this, but it does the trick! Seriously is the best $10 I ever spent! It does the trick when I don't want to hall my stuff over to the pool and watch Audrey try to drown herself. She makes me so nervous! But each time she does a little better. But for this morning the $10 pool is going to have to do the trick!

The girls were not cooperating with the camera, oh well! Give me credit for trying!

Happy Father's Day

2011-06-19T20:41:00.005-04:00

Last night the girls and I put together Roy's breakfast for today: Monkey Bread. It was lots of fun and Audrey loved stirring.

Roy got a desk organizer with our picture on it. And the girls picked out a Superman card. Audrey kept on trying to wake Roy up this morning and saying, "Happy Birthday." I tried to tell her it wasn't his birthday!

And I made the girls and Roy take a picture before church. It's a miracle that they both have a smile on. Audrey's not actually looking at the camera, but we'll take it!

And I couldn't leave out my own Dad. He's such a wonderful father and he's always there when I need him. I love you, Dad! Sean's in the picture too. Sabrina was busy today and couldn't make it, so we've got 2/3 of the kids. And please ignore the big giant zit on my forehead *add a sigh of frustration*

Racing and Drawing

2011-06-15T15:03:00.004-04:00

The other day, Evy at the dinner table insisted that she could beat Daddy in a race. So here's the showdown!

On another note, the other day the girls were playing with my Mom at her house. It looks like Audrey found a black marker and drew on her face. Sabrina said she looked like an Avatar! When I went to show her how silly she looked, she couldn't help but say how pretty she was. Let's just say, that I was not a happy camper!

Cuteness

2011-06-12T21:10:00.006-04:00

We went camping over Memorial Day Weekend! It had it's Ups and Downs, but we had fun together!

Here's a random picture of Audrey. When Roy and I went up to go to bed we found Audrey sleeping on Evy's floor. It was a day or 2 after camping and I think she just got used to all of us sleeping together!

And because I can.....I forgot to include this in our Disney World post, but this picture is of Roy trying indoor surfing. It was fun to watch him try it and even more fun to watch Sabrina have an epic fall that thinking of it still makes me laugh so hard I pee my pants! Where was the video camera when we needed it!

The other day I got Audrey's hair cut. I seriously can't stand how dang cute she looks!

Soccer

2011-06-12T20:54:00.003-04:00

This Spring, Evy played Soccer with a team for the very first time. She did great. And she's crazy fast. We are definitely going to do another season. I'm trying to talk Aunt Alena into coaching with me. Evy loved this n=boy named Boston, who just so happened to Steve Smith's son (Carolina Panther). The boy had mad skills and was seriously the back bone of our team. I discovered that I'm not the kind of parent to stay silent on the side lines. If Evy commits to a team to play, then she better try her hardest and give it all she's got. Hopefully this will transfer to life-lessons, or that is my hope. At the end of practice or games I always tried to emphasize the things that she did well!

Audrey loved cheering for her!

Randomness

2011-06-12T20:30:00.004-04:00

Here are some cute pictures of the girls. With Summer starting, I've been finding things for the girls to do. We pulled out the dress ups and did that for an afternoon. I also bought a $10 pool from Walmart that we have been using almost everyday. Seriously, it was worth every penny. I'm going to have to take pictures of them in it.

I love the picture of Roy and I on the boat, he looks so happy. The boat will do that to just about everyone!

Happy Anniverary!

2011-06-12T20:27:00.002-04:00

Here's to 7 years of being married. We've definitely had our Ups and Downs but I wouldn't trade it for anything!

He also got me some beautiful flowers! Good Boy!

Maryke Easter Visit

2011-06-12T20:18:00.002-04:00

I know this is WAY late. But here are the pictures from when Roy's Mom came to visit. I was still recovering from the whole ectopic pregnancy/surgery debacle, so we just took it easy and hung out. We went to an Easter Egg hunt at Evy's school. They had a petting zoo which I thought was pretty fun. Audrey had a blast at her first Egg hunt. And we loved spending time with Maryke!

Epcot

2011-06-12T19:44:00.007-04:00

A few months back we had gotten some advise from some friends to do the Princess Breakfast while we were at Epcot. It was pricey but worth every penny. Instead of standing in line for the princesses, the princesses came to our table, signed Evy's book and took a picture with her. The food was amazing. Evy said she was too nervous to eat. So I took it as my responsibility to eat all of our $75 worth of breakfast. I was not going to let it go to waste! Bad move on my part. I was so full the rest of the day that I never really got into all that Epcot had to offer. Evy did look beautiful in her Little Mermaid outfit that Mama and Papa bough for her. We used that as a bribe for a whole month!

She did a walk/parade around the restaurant with all the other girl's there. As you can see, she's acting nervous. I don't know why, I don't think the child has EVER been nervous in her entire life!

Here's the rest of the pictures with the princesses:

Here's another picture of her outside of the restaurant:

Roy, Audrey and the Lewis Family met us at Epcot and we got started on the rest of our day. We decided to try out the Launch Ride. It simulates what it would feel like to be in a space ship during Launch. That kind of got the scrambled eggs rolling around in my stomach. Reminder: don't overeat before you have a day planned at an Amusement Ride!

As were heading out for the day I noticed that the girls had fallen asleep. Audrey fell asleep with her legs propped up in the stroller. Too funny!

All in all, it was the best trip ever. Roy and I really needed to have the chance to have tons of fun with our kids. Thanks Mom and Dad for letting us stay in the Condo!

Disney's Animal Kingdom

2011-06-12T19:31:00.003-04:00

On Tuesday we went to the Animal Kingdom. It was fun but it grew old pretty fast. We saw an awesome show of the Lion King. And we went on an awesome ride called Expedition Everest. I was really excited about it. Evy and I went on it together. At one point they bring you inside of a mountain and turn off the lights. At the point a "yetti" starts yelling and there's shadows everywhere. Needless to say, Evy was FREAKING out. For the rest of the day, whenever we were about to go on a roller coaster she asked me 5 times if there was going to be a yetti on it. Apparently we scarred her. That became the joke for the rest of the week. Whenever we were about to choose where we were going to go next we made sure there was no yetti! Audrey thought the Tiger was pretty cool. And Evy was awesome bird watcher, she would study the birds and then identify them. She corrected Roy multiple times on the type of birds we were seeing. Hilarious! And now, because I have an insane amount of pictures and blogging to catch up on, I'm going to do a massive photo dump. I'm sure you get the gist of it. It was fun......woohoo!

The mommy and baby monkey were so cute. Audrey was freaking out about them. I should have taken a video of her. The girl loves monkey's!

Hollywood Studios

2011-06-12T15:02:00.009-04:00

This may have been Roy and I's favorite day. There were so many things the kids loved. This was the first day that Audrey started getting a fever, so by the end of the day she was dwindling. But other than that, it was a blast.

There was one thing we were bummed about going into the park. We knew the following week at Disney World was going to be Star Wars week and that they were launching the new Star Tours ride that week. I have tons of memories of riding the original Star Tours and Roy is a huge fan. Evy and him watch Star Wars: The Clone Wars together almost every Friday night. When we got to the parking station the parking attendant told us that they were having a "soft" opening of the ride this week and that we should in that direction the first chance we got. Let's just say that we ran to the ride. We walked right on in. Roy first went with Evy and then I went on her when they got back. While I was waiting I got chatted up by one of the employees at the Star Wars ride. He was spouting off so much Star Wars info that I almost fell asleep. I believe that a couple of times he even started speaking in a different language. It was pretty funny. Evy came running off the ride to come get me and she said I just had to go because it was the coolest thing that she had ever seen!

Next Roy and Evy headed to the Tower of Terror. I was a little hesitant to let Evy go on the ride but she was certain that she wanted to go. Audrey and I just hung out. In the end, Evy ended up loving it and Roy was a little shaken.

Next we headed to watch the Little Mermaid. We sat in the very front and Audrey loved it. She kept on saying "Hi" to Ariel and pointing out the bubbles! Evy took the picture of Audrey and I.

We went to the playground of "Honey, I shrunk the kids". Honestly, it kind of freaked me out. I was kind of panicking that we would lose one of the girls. We literally were only in there for 5 minutes until I ended it. Roy and I got a kick out of the San Francisco picture. Now all we have to do is show our kids the picture and tell them that they have been to San Francisco. It kind of made me miss it......well, that's a whole other post!

Then we went to the Indiana Jones Stunt Show. It was awesome. Sabrina got chosen to be one of the participants. Unfortunately, the pictures of her turned out blurry. I would like to think that she was just moving to fast for me to capture :).

Then we headed to the Playhouse Disney show. The girls have really been into the show, "Jake and the Neverland Pirates" and that just happened to be in the show. Evy had a blast. They showered the audience with Gold Deblooms and Evy started grabbing as many as she could. I think she thought they were really gold. She was bummed when we said she couldn't take them home. Audrey kind of already started to "check out". We headed to the Toy Story ride before we headed out for the day. Toy Story was seriously awesome.

The one thing I wanted to make sure to buy were Mickey Mouse hats for the girls. I just love them and I hope they keep them forever!

Disney World: Magic Kingdom

2011-06-12T15:00:00.000-04:00

I have been a slacker when it comes to blogging. I know, I know. So I plan on attempting to redeem myself!

We had the funnest time at Disney World. We were there for a week and my whole family was there. The weather ended up being just fine. We hit Magic Kingdom first. I knew we were going to be there for 2 days so I figured we would stay late the second day to catch the light parade. We ll what I didn't know was that the parade was only on the weekend. I was so sad I missed it but we did see an amazing firework display. During the middle of it, Evy turned to me and said, "This is the best vacation of my life!" Tears came to my eyes because I was so happy. By the end of the week I was so grateful for how hard Roy works so that we can do fun stuff like that.

Evy loved taking pictures by these murals. They were doing a ton of work there. You could see the castle from Beauty and the Beast being built. A whole new attraction area. I was bummed it wasn't done but it just gives us another reason to come back!

Audrey has a hard time keeping her eyes open in pictures!

The reason we all look wet in the last couple of pictures is because we got on a boat to go on to Tom Sawyers Island. Once you're on, you have to stay on until they take you to the other side. As were waiting for the ok to start the engines, it started raining, I mean like pouring rain. They wouldn't let us off to wait under the canopy, so we had to sit there with no cover in the rain. Needless to say, I was not a happy camper. Our ponchos were in the stroller and we could not get to them. So for the rest of the day, we were kind of wet!

One of the last rides we went on was the Buzz Lightyear ride where you shoot at aliens with a gun. The first time around I did terrible. Evy even did better than me. The competitive side of me was upset at how terrible I did. I think I only got 7,000 points. So the second day we went to Magic Kingdom, I wanted to do it again. I got 180,000! Let's just say, I whipped it's butt! I beat everyone in the group! What was my strategy, you ask? Well here it it: to not look or "try" to shoot anything. Move the thing around like a spaz and shoot the gun as many times as possible and center your "chi". I'm thinking about writing a book about it :).

Day 2 of Magic Kingdom:
The first day we went on Saturday and we came back on Wednesday. Audrey had a ridiculously high fever so she stayed home with my parents. I was a little sad that she couldn't come, but would have been miserable. We got there around 1:00pm and stayed until closing. We had a blast.

These pictures are Evy playing model at the restaurant. I don't know what got into her. But she did look super cute. Sabrina braided her hair and Mom put her earrings on her.

Roy and I making funny faces. Surprise, surprise!

Evy and Bryce showin' some love. On a side note, the kids were great the entire week. No melt downs or fights. It seems that some magic rubbed off on us, because that is a definite first. Evy was great and so happy to just be there.

The epic sword and the stone. No kings made that day!

Here are some nice family pictures. In the last pictures with Bryce and the "mystery woman", we'll just call her Snow White, there's quite a funny story about it. She was walking across the bridge with her Mom and Sabrina really wanted Bryce to have a picture with a princess. She asked politely if Bryce could take her picture with her and she said yes. They posed and right before the flash Bryce stealthy grabs her hand. He's already workin' the moves!

These are the last pictures of Magic Kingdom. It was truly Magical!

Pic from the Birthday

2011-04-20T14:11:00.002-04:00

I was feeling like death warmed over that Day, and looked like it. I still wanted to take some birthday pictures with her but never got to. I guess there's always next year. We got her a Sesame Street cake. She happens to love Sesame Street and Elmo. Which is funny because she has never actually watched the show. One day we were in target and saw a Tickle me Elmo doll and screamed Elmo. Ever since then it has been a love affair with Elmo. My parents got her a Tickle-Me-Elmo doll. I can' decide if it is creepy or cute. It literally throws itself around and stands back up. I don't think Audrey can decide either. One minute she says it's funny and the other she's running away screaming. The jury is still out on that one. But thanks Mom and Dad! She got a couple of books from us. She loves shoes, so one book was about shoes. And the other one was a "Llama Llama" book. She loves that series! She also got a Sesame Street Sticker Activity book. I have already started to find stickers all around the house in places where they shouldn't be! Happy Birthday Audrey! We love you so much!

Aurey's 2nd Birthday video

2011-04-20T13:59:00.002-04:00

Make Up Afternoon

2011-04-20T13:51:00.005-04:00

For a while now Evy has been begging me to do her makeup one afternoon when Audrey is taking her nap. So last week, we did. And then she insisted that I take her picture......I should really get this girl a camera!

That same afternoon, when I went to check on Audrey after she had been in her room for 3 hours for her nap, I found her dead asleep on the floor. I thought it was funny. By the time I ran downstairs she had woken up. But at least we still get this sleepy-eyed picture of her!

Isn't she so dang cute?!?

FHE Mini Golf

2011-04-20T13:44:00.002-04:00

A couple of Mondays ago Roy decided that he wanted to go Mini Golfing for FHE. It was hilarious watching the girls try to figure it out. We let Audrey throw her ball in and put it in the whole. The result of this is that she won the game with the best score! Evy did ok. But for a 5 and a half year old, I think she rocked it! Roy and I had fun just watching the girl. Audrey did get a whole in one on her first try! Yeah.....I know......she's the next Tiger Woods :)!

Playdate

2011-04-20T13:40:00.003-04:00

Evy had a play date with her friend Ally from her TK class. I was downstairs and they were playing upstairs. They come down and Evy says, "Mommy, Ally and I would like a picture of us hugging and I want you to "log"(she means blog) about it." I felt like being a nice Mommy and I agreed. So here I am "logging" about it!

Ectopic Pregnancy

2011-04-20T09:26:00.002-04:00

So this week has been pretty crummy for the Gallagher Family. On Monday, at 2:00pm we found out that I had a Ectopic Pregnancy. And at 4:30 I was in surgery having it removed along with my left fallopian tube :(.

The last time that I has surgery, I was 9, and it was a sinus surgery. So I was pretty scared going in. They gave me a little sedative as I was going to the OR. I remember saying that the ride to the OR should be a ride at Disney World. The last thing I remember was a bunch of surgeons laughing at me :).

This has been quite a trial for me. It's been 3 weeks of knowing that this pregnancy was not going to be viable, but that for some reason my body thought it was still pregnant. Now we know that it was because of the embryo still stuck in my tube. I kind of feel sad about the embryo. It wasn't it's fault that it got stuck in my tube or that my tube was all jacked up to begin with. But I guess these things happen.

I'm excited to get healthy again and move on with my life. And I'm very excited to snuggle my girls. I'm very nervous with Audrey around, thinking she's going to jump on me any minute. And I know the girls are feeling a little neglected. The upside to all of this is that we were able to celebrate Audrey's 2nd birthday Sunday night before the surgery. So I will soon be posting some cute video and pics. I've decided that my kids are growing up way too darn fast!

When it comes to my future fertility, we will just have to wait and see. I'm trying really hard to not think about it. I'm going to focus on getting better and if there's a problem later than we will just deal with it than.

I'm so grateful for my blessings. And grateful that we found it when we did. It could have easily burst and that would have been very bad. The doctor said this was because of my general healthiness. So I'm grateful for a family that instilled me a healthy lifestyle! I'm grateful for friends and family that have been there for Roy and I. I don't know what I would do without you! Roy's been great through all of this and I'm so grateful for his support!

So I felt like I needed to write all this down. To write down my feelings so that I can remember them. And if I've learned anything from this experience, it's that I need to trust in my instincts, I felt that something was not right and I went from there. I'm sure the spirit was helping me out.

I wanted to end this with a big thank you to: VICODEN! Seriously don't know what I would do without you. It will be sad when we need to part ways but I am so excited to feel like myself again!

Tired!

2011-04-07T14:21:00.003-04:00

Audrey and I were trying to run some errands this afternoon. I picked her up some Mcdonald's for lunch. She had been terrible all morning and I figured something was up. But as I was driving it got quiet in the back. I was relieved that she was eating her food and hopefully that would help her behave better. As I turn back to tell her good job, I see this:

Notice that she still has the french fry in her hand! I tried to wake her up but she was having none of that! I canceled the rest of my plans. We went to pick up Evy and headed home for nap. She's going to be starving when she wakes up!

Randomness

2011-03-25T20:32:00.005-04:00

I've just realized I haven't blogged in over am month. So I figured I would catch you guys up!

Here's the sweetest of picture of Audrey in her big-girl bed. I just love how she is snuggling her bear. How did my baby get too big. Too add to that, Roy took away the binky a few weeks ago. She hardly even noticed she didn't have it anymore. I was kind of sad. I don't like to see my girls growing up too fast. Evy's almost way too big to snuggle anymore.

And here's a picture outside our house when the trees were blooming. I thought they were so pretty. I don't like the smell too much but they sure are pretty!

Happy Valentines Day!

2011-02-14T16:23:00.004-05:00

I love Valentine's Day! I love the jewelry commercial that says, it's not about I love you, but I love us! I love Roy! He never reads this but I wanted to say it.

Evy and I made some Valentines cookies today while Audrey was taking a nap. I have some chocolates and cards to give them at dinner. I'm so grateful for all the love I have in my life. Happy Valentines Day!

As I was loading the pictures on to the computer I saw some ones I had forgotten about. This one I took one morning. This is exactly how my mornings go. My children love TV!

And then another morning, Evy insisted I take her picture. I really have no idea why but she was sure that she needed her picture taken!I love how she had to strike a pose. That girl is so sassy!

I'm sad and sick

2011-02-02T14:31:00.002-05:00

So today I found out that a family friend passed away last night. She was our neighbor in California for 5 years. I can't count the number of memories of my childhood that I have her and her family in. For some reason, this has struck me pretty hard. She was so young, 58. I think about my Mom and thought of what it would be like losing her. My heart goes out to her husband, her children and her sweet grandchildren. But what gives me hope and comfort is the knowledge that Families Can Be Together Forever. I know this is true and I know this beautiful Gospel that I belong to is true and because of that I feel blessed today. Almost every night I sing the girls the song, "Families Can Be Together Forever". Tonight it will be even more sweet.

Not helping the matter of feeling sad is the fact that I'm sick. I have had a runny nose for 3 weeks. Undoubtedly it is has turned into a Sinus Infection. But I have been so busy with the Design Business that I have not had a chance to go to the Doctor's. I'm glad I'm working but I need to find sometime to go get some Antibiotics........stupid nose! Maybe I'll go to the minute clinic after Roy comes home.

And not to make this post so down, I'm posting a video of Audrey. The other day on the phone, Alena, my Sister-In-law, asked to see some videos of Audrey talking. This is what I got out of her. She says so much more but for some reason that is all I could think of.

I've just realized that she's talking with her mouth full of food. I hope any of you do not find it rude. And if you are, than you might be offended by half of the things I say on my blog and you wouldn't be looking at my blog to begin with. So I'm going to assume you all find it adorable!

Fancy Nancy Tea Party

2011-01-30T20:51:00.007-05:00

Saturday was the big day of the Tea Party. Ended up being 13, 5 year old's. Let's just say that it was full of tiaras, tutus and little girl squeal's! I think Evy ended up having a really good time. My friend Tess threw it with me and I have no idea how I would have done it without her. She has a little girl the same age as Evy and they are good friends!

We had a couple of activities, completely thought of by Tess, definitely not my power alley! We did "Soiree" Bingo" and bedazzled some sunglasses. They were a hit!

My Mom went way over the top and made Evy and Audrey outfits. Everyone loved them! I have the best Mom ever. And I'm glad she made the costumes because I definitely would not have been able to! I forgot to get a close up of Audrey, because she was literally running around everywhere. I was giving her everything and anything to keep her quiet. I think she may have had up to 20 conversation hearts......don't judge me :)! But she spent the party trying on everybody's shoes and taking a little walk. This girl is seriously obsessed with shoes!

I'm really glad I did it and was able to something special for her. The girls looked like they had a blast. And I don't think I'm going to be doing anything like this for sometime :). And here's the rest of the picture's. You may notice that one of her friend's is dressed like a Unicorn. Don't ask me why, but she didn't want to dress up in a tutu, only a Unicorn. Audrey kept on circling her rubbing her horn and fur. I could not help but laugh. Enjoy!

Evy, I love you1

Audrey's so dang cute!

2011-01-30T20:46:00.002-05:00

The other day, Audrey and I were hanging out at home while Evy was at school. Audrey plays fantastic by herself. But that day it was perfect. She would put on her Fancy Nancy Shoes and her bucket (her purse) and grabbed a play cell phone. She would start yelling at the cell phone, put the phone in her bucket and then say bye to me so she could go run her "errands". She must have done it 10 times. It seriously brought a smile to my face that day!

Blah!

2011-01-28T15:59:00.009-05:00

I don't really have anything super exciting to blog about. I've been very busy this week getting Evy's Tea Party ready. Why a Tea Party, you ask? The answer is: because I'm crazy! And because Evy is really into the Fancy Nancy Books. If you know anything about Fancy Nancy, then you know that she loves all things girly, frilly, french and tea parties. So one night Evy and I were reading Fancy Nancy's, How to throw a Tea Party book. Evy asked is she could have a tea party and I said, "Why Not?" (famous last words). Well this Tea Party has turned into 13, 5 year old's coming over tomorrow. And I feel a ton of pressure to get everything just right. This is what I have so far:

I still have got loads to do tomorrow. Hopefully everything will turn out and Evy will be happy. I know the decorations are good because Roy walked through the door and hated it. What a boy? He said that because he hated it, it would be perfect. What kind of logic is that?

Here's some random pictures of Audrey looking stoned. For some reason, I can't get her to keep her eyes open. I have yet to be able to figure out my camera! I don't know how to get it to work the way I want it to. Maybe I will have to actually read the manual. But who wants to read a camera manual, when I have my other books where a good majority of them include some ridiculously handsome character? Maybe one day I will get to the camera manual, but until then you will have to put up with blurry, stoned pictures of Audrey.

And here's some pics of my jewelry setup. I had a client come by to check it out. How come that just by looking at all of the jewelry together makes me happy? I think it's because it's so pretty! I have a party coming up next week, so wish me luck!

And I just noticed that my pictures are all sideways, but I'm to tired to fix it. So in the meantime.......tilt your head and you'll see it right!:)..............................I need a vacation!

Sweet!

2011-01-06T09:56:00.003-05:00

Before I went to bed I went to check on Evy, like I do every night. When I went in there, I saw that she had her dolls and her bear, Ariel Rainbow (she came up with that name all on her own), all tucked in around her. I just thought it was so precious and sweet!

Audrey's Words

2011-01-04T19:54:00.004-05:00

In the past few days Audrey's vocabulary has just come alive. The other night she asked me for a "book peeees". It seriously melted my heart. Here are some of the other words she says:
Mama
Dada
Good Night "Nigh Nigh
Bye "Buh Bye"
Snack "Nack"
Please "Peees"
Thank You "Shank u"
Book "Book"

I'm just loving her to death! And Evy is doing great too! We've whipped out the good 'ole rewards chart to see if that will help her behave better. And today she did really well. This is a picture of me and the kiddos reading a book before bed. When being a Mom, there are good days and bad days. Today I think was a good day and I'm loving being a Mom! Tomorrow may be different.

Merry Christmas!

2011-01-02T15:12:00.003-05:00

We had my parents and my grandparents over for Christmas Eve! We had a blast. My Mom even made us dress up and do the Nativity Story. I still remember when I did it as a child!

Audrey looked hilarious as a shepherd and Evy was a beautiful Mary!

Thanks Mom an Dad for a fun night!

Here's a video of the kiddos doing a dance for us:

Here's another one from Christmas morning:

And for your enjoyment, some random pics from Christmas morning.

Christmas School Show

2011-01-02T08:43:00.003-05:00

Evy's school had a Christmas program. Roy wasn't able to make it, but my Mom, Grandma, Audrey and me were able to make it. I took an insane amount of video for Roy. This is one of Evy's favorite Christmas songs!

Audrey's First Hair Cut!

2011-01-02T08:32:00.003-05:00

I finally gave in and decided to get Audrey a hair cut! The mullet was out of control. I kind of got teary eye, like I did with Evy. I just knew that the hair that she was cutting was the hair that I rubbed my face on when she was an infant...it pulled at my little heart strings. Well, I got over it, and I love her cute little bob. She was very good. And got quite attached to a slinky they had laying around!

Here's the finished product:

I know it's not the best shot, but trust me, it's cute! I guess she's not a baby anymore, but a toddler!

New Camera!

2010-12-12T13:55:00.003-05:00

I'm so excited! What's this excitement for, you ask? A new camera! Roy and I finally got a new camera to replace our old, dead one. Finally I will be able to take pictures of the kids and hopefully do some more blogging! Thanks Oma and Pa for the fabulous Christmas presents! I took some random pictures of the kids and the Christmas Tree! The camera shoots super fast and I love it! And best of all, it's a pretty plum color! HoHoHoHoHo Merry Christmas!

Don't ask me what kind of face Audrey is making. And on another note......you may notice Roy's very long hair in the picture. He will not cut his hair and it's killing me. So if you can, whoever reads this blog, call him and tell him to cut his hair before I do it in his sleep....I'm totally not joking!

Halloween and Roy's Birthday

2010-11-08T15:21:00.005-05:00

So here is a ton of pictures from Halloween and Roy's birthday! Roy was Clark Kent, Evy was Tinkerbell, Audrey was a ladybug, and I was a ninja (I know you can't tell from the pcitures! There's one pic of Audrey that is hilarious, it's of her trying to get away from one of our Halloween decorations. Evy got tons of candy and we all had tons of fun.

Roy's getting old at the age of 29. But sadly, I have more grey hair than he does....how is that fair?

Enjoy!

Boating

2010-09-28T00:10:00.005-04:00

This past summer we spent some time at the Lake. There are a couple of pictures that I could not resist posting. Now, I must admit, that these are not the prettiest pictures of myself. But going to the Lake does not require make-up and apparently I make hilarious faces when on the tube!

Eclipse Movie Premier

2010-09-27T23:59:00.004-04:00

I know I have been bad. But I have reasons for not blogging. These are the reasons: I have had no computer, I have had no camera, and I have been moving. I don't know about you but life has been a little crazy for me! So I am going to start off with the best post ever: Eclipse Movie Premier. These pictures are all courtesy of the AWESOME Candis....so you can thank Candis!

So the movie was good! I don't know if I loved it, but I thoroughly enjoyed myself. And I loved the life-size cardboard cutouts of Edward and Jacob. And I know what you're thinking,........Don't judge!

The greatest Sister-in-law flew all the way from DC to come. We had all the girls there and even Papa Dennis. Here's a picture of all the Kelly Girls.

Sisterly Love

2010-07-21T21:33:00.005-04:00

Mom and I were cleaning out the garage this afternoon and I turn around and see this.

Evy had hooked up her bike to Audrey's car, so that when she peddled Audrey was pulled along. It made me so happy to see that. And Evy was so proud of herself. This leads me to believe that maybe one day they will be the best of friends..... hopefully!

Evy also told me today that I am the Bestest Mom she has ever had because I rented a Barbie movie from the Redbox. If only life were that simple........

Funny Pictures

2010-07-15T11:57:00.004-04:00

My Mom and I were running errands the other day and I look back and see Evy like this. She had gotten those glasses at Wendys that day. I think she looks so sassy, especially with her legs crossed. And here is another picture that I found on my Dad's camera of my favorite brother and the bestest sister-in-law! Looks like Sean is trying to look gangsta with his hat....good luck Sean!

Big News!!!

2010-07-10T09:30:00.003-04:00

ROY GOT THE JOB IN CHARLOTTE! Yay!!!!!!!! We get to stay here! We rented out a townhouse in Willowmere so it looks like we will be in the Weddington Ward again. It's really funny how things work out.

And just for fun... here's a picture of EVy and her cousin Bria in Santa Cruz. It was 60 degrees and freezing in the water but they were determined to go in the water. So here's a picture for your enjoyment!

4th of July

2010-07-05T10:18:00.007-04:00

Our fourth of July took up 2 days. We started off by going to the Carlson's Annual 4th of July party. They had this insane blow up slide that I think Evy must have gone down 100 times. She had a blast. It was fun to get out and see friends.

On Sunday I made us all match. It was important to me to have us patriotic. I love this holiday and I love our country! So that means we are going to go to church and we are going to match.....thanks, Roy, for going along :).

That night we had some new friends from church come over. They stayed for dinner and went home to put the kids to bed. But when the sun went down the party began! Our favorite neighbors and their kids came over and we lit our fireworks in the cul-de-sac. Evy had a blast! The fireworks were awesome and the company was even better! Evy loves Larry and Leslie and I talked her into letting me take a picture with her and Evy, Seriously, this weekend was so fun and we enjoyed the extra time we go to spend with Roy!

Nickelodean Storytime Live

2010-06-26T21:37:00.008-04:00

My sister, Sabrina, called me up a month ago to see if Evy and me wanted to go. Well we bought the tickets and went today. It was four of the Nickelodeon shows in different segments. It was really cool to see Evy loved Dora best of all. We tried to take lots of pictures but the kids were to busy watching the show to look at the camera. It was special to do something with just Evy.

Pavlova

2010-06-26T21:34:00.002-04:00

I made this and it seemed to be a hit with the family. I think it looks so pretty that I had to take a picture of it. All I have to say is: YUMMY!!!!

Happy Father's Day!

2010-06-20T09:30:00.005-04:00

Here's to my wonderful Husband and an Awesome Dad! He's not around much but I know that when he is he tries to be the best Dad he can be! He loves his girls and I'm so happy to have him as the father of my children. I love you, Roy, and you make us so happy!

I bet you're wondering why there are 2 pictures of them? It's ridiculously difficult to get them all looking at the camera at the same time, and when I say all I mean including Roy too. So in the first one Audrey looks like she's trying to push out a turd and in the second one Roy looks like he is stoned. So you pick. Which one is better?

Happy Father's Day Roy!

Random Pictures

2010-06-12T10:21:00.004-04:00

I couldn't get a good picture of Audrey so I kept trying to get a better one. I said cheese so many times she started saying it too. Audrey said something that made me happy yesterday: Mommy! I loved it!! I love my girls!

6 Year Anniversary

2010-06-12T10:12:00.003-04:00

Has it already been another year? I've decided this year has been ridiculously hard for us as a family and a marriage, but I guess were getting through it. Living apart has really made me appreciate how much I love and miss him. He even touched into his sensitive side and wrote this: A successful marriage requires falling in love many times. But always with the same person. Every year, month, day I fall in love with you as I did the first time I felt I loved you.

I had no idea this sensitive Roy was hiding inside.... I could not be happier! Here's to 6 more years. I pray this next year is not as hard :)

Evy and Mommy Nail Day

2010-06-08T09:16:00.002-04:00

Evy had a really good week last week so she got a treat. She went with me to get her toes and her nails done. She was an angel through the whole thing which I was not expecting.... pedicures must be important to he, that comes from me :)! The ladies there loved her and kept saying how cute she was and I enjoyed spending some alone time with her. I love you, Evy.

Audrey and Chocolate Cake

2010-06-08T09:14:00.001-04:00

Enough said!

Graduation and San Francisco

2010-05-30T17:02:00.015-04:00

This past week my Dad, Audrey and I went to San Francisco for my graduation and to see Roy's parents. It was lots of fun. I was reminded about how I detest flying with a baby. I was also reminded that San Francisco is cold. And lastly I was reminded of the smell of homeless people.... I believe it has gotten worse since I lived there!

The flight out there was torture. Waking a baby at 4 in the morning is NOT a good idea! But we had a celebrity on the plane. And when I say celebrity I mean I'm probably the only person that recongnized him. He's Tyler from "Tyler's Ultimate" on the food network. I love him and loved him even more after he said Audrey was beautiful!

Here's a picture of Audrey's first ride on public transit.

Here's another waiting for the F-Line. There was crazy wind coming from under the street. Somehow I could not manage to open my eyes.

And here's my attempt at taking a picture of the three of us. Out of the three pictures, I think I managed to get all of us in at least one picture. Clearly self-picture taking is not one of my talents!

Here's pictures of the actual graduation. Good luck telling which one is me! I'll give you a hint: I'm the tall one!

And then here's some random pictures from the rest of the day.

And here's my cute niece wearing the hooded towel I made for her.

Thanks Dad for flying all the way to San Francisco with me so that I could do this. And thank you for the thousands of dollars you've spent on my education. And Thank You for believing me and being a wonderful Father. And to not forget my Mom, I oculd not have done it without you and especially the hundreds of hours of babysitting. I love you both!

Evy's Insult of the Day

2010-05-16T19:33:00.001-04:00

"Mommy you are such a Crazy, Silly, Girly Boob!".....what the heck does that mean?? I think she intended it as an insult but I just laughed at her. So don't tick me off people or I will call you a crazy, silly, girly BOOB!

Asheville Trip

2010-05-16T09:18:00.011-04:00

This past week Roy and I went on a trip to Asheville. It was a Christmas present from my parents and we are just finally getting around to it. It was tons of fun. We really didn't do anything too exciting. We laid in bed for an absurd amount of time doing nothing.....perfection! The best part was our couples massage. We loved it!Here's a picture of us outside by the valet section.

This is a silly picture of me in the car. I call it the "Facebook" picture!

This shot is from a parking lot in downtown Asheville. I loved the mountains!

There were these brass cats on poles in a cool area of downtown. For a second I thought they were real.

Our room was awesome, thanks Dad! So we had to take some pictures of the room. We also took one in the lobby, I love the hog with the hat on.

We ate at this AWESOME BBQ place called 12 Bones. Apparently the President has eaten there a couple of times. I thought it would be fun to get some pictures of us eating our ribs. So So Good!!!!

Thanks again Mom and Dad for the awesome vacation and watching our crazy kids. We had the best time doing nothing. And to close, I love you, Roy.

AUDREY'S WALKING!

2010-05-11T20:45:00.002-04:00

The picture quality is not so good because it was taken on a phone but I'm still happy I got it. Love the face she's making. These were probably her first many steps together. So proud of her!

Mother's Day!

2010-05-09T19:17:00.004-04:00

I love Mother's Day! And I love it even more now that I am a Mother. You never know how hard it is being a Mother until you are one yourself. I could not have asked for a better Mother. She is everything that I want to be as a Mother. She's goofy, fun, loving and endlessly giving. You would not believe the amounts of laughs that happen in this home because of her. I would have been lost without her this past year. She was my life-saver in a raging storm and I will forever be grateful.

I saw this card and I had to get it for her. When I look at it I think of her.

Evy sang today in Church. She looked beautiful! I watched as she mouthed, "Mother, I Love you." It brought tears my eyes. I thank my Heavenly Father everyday for the blessing it is to be a Mother. I always knew that it was something I wanted to do and something I was going to love. For heaven sakes, I breastfed my dolls! Motherhood is hard but there is nothing like snuggling my lips into my children's necks and holding them tight.

There is nothing more important than what I will do as a Mother and I'm blessed that I can be there every second, for every poopy daiper, for every moment of getting barfed on, for every moment of sleepless nights and ever moment of loving my children!

These are the flowers that we got at church. I love that they are not carnations! And the red is gorgeous!

I love this Sound

2010-05-06T17:50:00.002-04:00

I love the sound of Audrey giggling as I push her on the swing. I love that she thinks it's the funnest thing. I love the way she smiles and hugs me.

Now how can the same experience with another child go so wrong? Evy asks to be pushed so I push her with Audrey on my hip. She starts yelling at me that I'm doing it wrong and to do it more and to put Audrey down and to do it higher,etc.......

So how do I get the feelings that I have with Audrey happen when I'm doing it with Evy? There is something to be said about a child that can't talk but giggle and smile. This is my dilemna. How do I show my love for Evy when she has days like these? How do I make myself equal to parenting her and giving her the best she deserves? I have no idea. So I might be saying a real long prayer tonight and go in when Evy is asleep and snuggle her.

To end on a positive note: I love the way Audrey thinks Evy is the coolest thing ever. How she follows her around so they can play. And how Evy's screaming can make her laugh. I love the way Evy says I'm the best Mom she's ever had. I think there might be better Mom's when it comes to parenting Evy but I don't think anyone could love her more!

Evy's First Experience with Pet Death

2010-05-03T18:31:00.002-04:00

We had gotten two fish for Evy at Christmas Time. They died a couple of days ago. I was going to wait until Roy came home this weekend to deal with it. But I couldn't bear it any longer. Their skin was coming off in flakes and I would gag as I walked by it. So I begged, and I mean begged, my Mom to deal with the fish. I thought Evy would be ok. But when I told her and we went to go flush them down the toilet she completely lost it. Huge tears and cries of grief came from her. It was so sad it almost made me cry. It's so hard explaining death to a child. I told her that what we were flushing were just there bodies and their spirits had gone to live with Jesus. Now I am not quite so sure about the legitimacy of that doctrine but it worked for the situation.

It's hard being a Mom!

Audrey's Table Manners

2010-05-03T17:43:00.003-04:00

For some odd reason, Audrey chooses to use her hair as her napkin. I try to get her to stop, but whatever I say she still rubs food into her hair. Every night in the bath tub I watch bits of food come off in the Bath. It's really gross but way cute at the same time. Let's hope she grows out of this by the time she starts dating!

I Am a Triathalete!

2010-05-02T10:11:00.006-04:00

So, I let my Dad talk me into doing a Sprint Triathalon. I am in pain today! I finished it in one hour and 36 minutes. A 10 minute swim, 45 minute bike and under a 30 minute run ( which only was the case because if I walked my calf's would start cramping). I'm really happy I did it and even more happy it is over with! Roy was able to come and bring the kids so I was real happy that he could be there to see me finish.

I'm really grateful that I was able to do this with my Dad. I will never forget it! I really wanted to beat him but he is such an over-acheiver on the bike! So how a 53 year old beats a 25 year old, I do not know. It's probably because he is so pretty ;)!

On an after-thought, I really need to wear make up when I do these events. Evy does not approve of my lack of make-up!

Evy's Two Quote's of the Day

2010-04-28T21:07:00.004-04:00

1) Evy asks Mama to take her to McDonald's. Evy comes out of her room with a sad look on her face. I asked her what was wrong and she says, "Something horrible has happened! Mama's run out of money!" Hilarious!

2) She farts on her way upstairs and I give her a disapproving look. She responds with, " It's ok Mom, my butt is breathing!" I'm going to have to use that excuse too!

On another note, we had Indian food tonight and I didn't want them to stain there clothes so they ate shirtless.

And just for fun... Audrey's foot at breakfast. Guess those jammies have been through one to many kids!

Craziness?

2010-04-28T17:43:00.003-04:00

Do you ever wonder what Heavenly Father is thinking? How everything could turn out so completely different than you thought they would. Really, I feel like I'm going to pull out my hair. Will my life ever be normal? And as I write this the answer comes to my mind: not likely.

We got rid of our house finally! We have renter for 2 years that would like to buy at the end of the lease. So it's a huge relief! Roy calls me up and tells me today that there is a possibility that he will get a job transfer back here to Charlotte. WHAT?!? We just got rid of the house! Now it's not a definite but definitely a possibility. Now is it just weird how this all turned out? We sign papers for our house on Monday and find out on Wednesday that we may just end up staying here. AAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

So Heavenly Father, how about I stop telling you my ideas and you just tell me! Again, not likely. But wouldn't it be nice?

So, enjoy this picture of Evy at about 18 months. This always makes me laugh. So, maybe I just need to laugh about all of this and go with the flow. Seriously,.........Not Likely!

Doughnuts for Dad

2010-04-22T12:18:00.004-04:00

Evy had a morning at her pre-school where all the Dad's were to come in and have breakfast with the kids. There was an invitation and everything. Well, Roy working in another state happens to complicate things a wee bit. So I went to my Dad to see if he would come... he was going to be out of town. So I thought and thought and then I figured why not ask Tata, my grandpa. He was very excited and in his words "honored" to go. I'm sure he didn't hear one thing of what was going on but I know that it was important to Evy.

Evy drew a picture of her Dad and answered some questions about him. So she said that he was five years old, I said that's because he qcts like it :)! And that his favorite food was grapes, not really. That her favorite thing to do with him was to listen to his jokes, don't we all. And that she loved to tickle with him. And she loves her Dad so much because he loves her so much too! I thought it was very sweet and started missing Roy pretty badly...oh well. All in all, a very fun morning!

Dinner Table Talk

2010-04-21T18:15:00.004-04:00

Evy, Audrey and I are sitting at the table eating dinner. Evy then begins to give me a good long stare. Not just a normal stare, but a see-into-your-soul stare. Now, after the day I've had with her, I get the impression that she's got a problem with me. She then very sweetly says that there is something different about me. She noticed I had Gym clothes on and that my hair was in a pony tail. Any then she says, "Let me think,..... I got it. You don't have make-up on!" I tell her that is correct and I was just too tired today! She tells me, "It's ok Mommy, but you look pretty with make-up." What a sweet girl, right? Made me laugh hysterically. I even took a picture of the way she was looking at me and one of myself. Enjoy the candid observation of my eldest!

Video of Audrey's Birthday

2010-04-17T22:51:00.003-04:00

Audrey's 1!!

2010-04-17T22:14:00.005-04:00

One year ago at 6:09 pm my sweet baby girl Audrey was born. We had lots of fun today. She had a yummy breakfast that Roy made. Roy and her put her present together, a push buggy car. We went on a walk to the playground. She was in the mood of sticking her tongue out. It was pretty funny. We had my grandparents over for a little party. It was lots of fun and i think Audrey had a good time. She sure got lots of hugs and kisses from me today! She's growing up way too fast! I'm super tired so I don't think I'm going to put more effort into this post, I'll just let the pictures explain. Here's to my sweet baby Audrey, we love you so much!

aaarrrrrgggghhhhh!

2010-04-14T08:50:00.003-04:00

All I wanted to say is that I'm tired. All I want to do is crawl in my bed and have sweet dreams about Edward...., oh, I mean Roy :)! Oh my sweet bed, Oh my sweet Bed, oh how I love thee!!! I think I'm going crazy, but I think everyone that reads this blog already knows that! Im posting a picture of right after I had Evy, so excuse the fat face, but this is how I feel today!

My Sweet Babies

2010-04-12T20:21:00.005-04:00

So my sister Sabrina took pictures of the girls for Easter. I couldn't be happier with how they turned out. Audrey does have a snotty nose, thank heavens for PhotoShop!! I love how Evy's hair turned out. I told her if she left her curlers in that she would get a special treat, the treat being Easter Eggs. But I kept reminding Evy what this holiday was about and I think she sort of got it. I don't know how many times I said, " We have Easter because Jesus died for us." I didn't go into the resurrection thing because i thought it would be to much for her. But after a month of saying the same thing over and over agin, I think she got that it was about Jesus. Of course it was nice having them in their matching outfits, hunting Easter eggs, eating good food, but really it's nothing compared to why we celebrate. I am so grateful for my blessings and the knowledge that I have that Christ died for us. Not just for our sins but for everything. I have been blessed! When I start missing my house I try to remember this and I think it helps. Anyways.......enjoy the pics of my babies! I couldn't help but stare at them and wonder how time flies too quickly. Happy late Easter!

Hair Tips from Audrey

2010-04-07T09:45:00.002-04:00

If you have run out of Hair product don't worry! If you have Italian Chicken and Rice it will make a perfect replacement. It gives your hair lift and beautiful volume!!

Audrey

2010-04-05T13:53:00.003-04:00

Here are a couple of pictures of Audrey. And Yesturday we took some pictures of the girls in their Easter outfits so I will post those soon! But one of these pictures is of Audrey and her first experience with an Oreo. I thought she was so cute, I had to take a picture. I cannot believe she is going be 1 in a couple of weeks. Where does the time go? I think I might have to snuggle her extra today!!!

AAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!

2010-03-23T14:09:00.003-04:00

As you can see by the title of this post, that I am going crazy. This is Evy's mission! I remember looking at my sweet Evy baby in the hospital thinking about all the fun we would have and what a great Mom I would be. But I fear that I am failing. I know that this is not rational, it is emotional. I love my sweet girl to death. Heaven knows she is hilarious. She is a great bis sister. And she is there to give me a hug when I need one. But sometimes... and when I say sometimes, I really mean quite frequently... she makes me want to pull my hair out!! It seems like these past couple of weeks have been really bad. I have no idea what I am doing and I don't think she does either. I love her, I tell her I love her, I show her I love her, but does she know? I'm not so sure. My voice is at a very high decibel all day long, telling her to not do that, or go do that or go in time out or go wipe your bum! Really I am tired of hearing myself! I just hope that in the end I get points for trying my hardest. So here's to Evy!!!... her father's daughter :)

The Best Day!

2010-03-15T20:40:00.003-04:00

I had the best day today! The weather was beautiful! My kids were happy! I was happy! Had a good workout. And I felt like I had never been depressed. Pushed Audrey on the swing and she giggled the whole time. Just love that girl to death! Really the best day. Instead of going to bed sad, I'm going to bed happy. So grateful for my blessings!

I Love Roy!

2010-03-14T21:15:00.002-04:00

As per my brother's request, here is a post dedicated to Roy! Apparently I didn't put that I am gratfeul for him in my previous post. So Here it goes... I love Roy!!!(I am practically singing this... and doing my Xena cry)!! Is that good Sean?? Anyways... I do love Roy. he is the perfect husband for me. He happens to think that I am funny, which works out great. He works hard, very hard.. in far away Atlanta, for our family. And we miss him so much. And occasionally he is funny... Ok, more than occasionally. He is a great father and makes me cry every time he says bye to the girls on Sunday. I miss him and can't wait for us to be together again!

The Upside of Unemployment

2010-03-14T21:08:00.002-04:00

I was looking through some pictures and found one from this summer. As per the title of this post, there is an upside to unemployment! With Roy home all summer long (it was a very long summer!) he had a lot of time on his hands. It seem like Hell's Kitchen inspired him and he decided to make Beef Wellington. Sounds sophisticated, right? We ll it is!. It's prime rib, wrapped in procutto (spelling?) covered in mushrooms and sealed in puff pastries. Well he made it. And it was awesome. It doesn't matter that it took him close to four hours to make it or $50 for the ingrediants... It was worth it! And voila!! My husband is a chef. So I he gets layed off from the new Wells Fargo job at least we have a fall back!!

I ran a Half Marathon!

2010-03-14T20:37:00.004-04:00

Crazy Right? My bestest friend, Candis, somehow comvinced me to run this Half Marathon during the Winter Holidays. I started training in the beginning of January and ran the Half Marathon on March 6! All in all I think it was a good experience. I lost all of my baby weight, so right there it makes everything worth it! I don't think I ever got to the point where I started to love running. But I love the jeans I'm fitting back into!!! :) I never thought I would ever run a half marathon so I am pretty dang proud of myself! I ran it in 2 Hours and fifty minutes... I know it's pathetic. But I kept looking behind me to make sure there were a good amount of people behind me and that I was not the last!! Really that is all that matters. I don't have the best pics from it but I will post what I have and once I get the good ones I will put them up.

Really I just want to be a healthy adult. I want to be able to give my kid's a run for their money in races. I want to be able to chase Evy down... which is kind of a need!! Really glad I did it, and somehow my dad convinced me into doing a Triathalon Sprint on May 1st... I know crazy!! I' must me smoking something way crazy when I agree to these things. And in closing, If I can run a half marathon anyone can!! And apparently I run like a sasquatch... yep, I said it, a Sasquatch!

I have been a Bad Blogger!

2010-03-14T19:29:00.004-04:00

So.... after much pestering from family members I have decided to become a better blogger!! Honestly this past year has been a hard one for the Gallagher Family. I have found myself severely depressed, lonely, tired and frustrated! And haven't felt like blogging about things. But I have decided to have a better outlook on life. Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass but learning how to dance in the rain. So here goes dancing in the rain! And just FYI, I'm a terrible dancer...just ask Roy. But I'm going to try.

These are some of the things I'm grateful for:
The roof over my head
The Yummy food on my plate
My beautiful girls
My wonderful family
The beauty outside
My comfy bed... I love my bed!!!

So when I'm bummed I'm going to look at this list and think about all the other blessings I have in my life. Because truly I am blessed!

Happy 5 years to Us!

2009-06-15T13:54:00.004-04:00

June 10th was our 5 year Anniversary and I am amazed at how fast it has gone. Two kids, a house, and a couple of jobs later we are having a blast. I'm so lucky to be married to my best friend! Here's to us babe!

My Pretty Ballerina!

2009-06-12T19:34:00.003-04:00

Evy's first day of dance was today. Yesterday my mom, me and Evy went to go pick out all of her dance stuff. And let me tell you, dance stuff is not cheap! It was hilarious watching her today. She kept on checking to see if I was watching her. Personally I feel bad for the teacher. Who would want to be in an inclosed space with 12, 3-4 year old-wannabe- ballerinas? The answer is a crazy person! But all jokes aside, the teacher was endlessly patient. It was tons of fun until the end when we needed to take her tap shoes off to go home. Let's just say I had to drag her out of there kicking and screaming. Is it right when your almost four year old physically hurts you? I didn't think so. So... hopefully tomorrow will be better than today. In the meantime enjoy the pictures of my pretty, crazy, biting ballerina!

Myrtle Beach Vacation

2009-06-08T19:25:00.005-04:00

Last week we went to Myrtle Beach for a family vacation. It was a blast! We couldn't have asked for better weather. The beach was my favorite day. We also went to the Aquarium, which I was pretty disappointed in. But here are our pictures.

My favorite is of Audrey. I think she looks so dang cute with her hat.
Here are some more and another of what Evy looked like at the end of the day. She looked pretty tired, 6 hours of fun in the sun will do that to you!

Here are some of the last day at the aquarium.

And here is the last one.

Audrey's Blessing Day

2009-05-26T19:07:00.002-04:00

Roy was able to give Audrey a blessing this past Sunday. It was a wonderful experience. I am so grateful for a husband that lives worthy of having the priesthood and being able to bless our family. I was a proud Mamma!

Time with Daddy!

2009-05-26T19:04:00.002-04:00

I couldn't help but take these. They looked so cute together!

Making Daddy Proud

2009-05-13T22:36:00.002-04:00

One Saturday while The baby and me were taking a nap, Roy was out playing with Evy. Evy learned how to stand up on the skateboard. Saying that Roy was excited is an understatement.

My Baby Bro is Getting Married!

2009-05-13T17:07:00.003-04:00

I just felt it was necessary to announce to the world that my brother is getting married. He's found a stellar girl that seems to like him :)!I'm so happy and excited for them. I have trained you well my brother, now make me proud.... did I just turn on the stove with my butt? hehehe

My two Baby Girls!

2009-05-13T16:51:00.006-04:00

I thought it would be fun if I showed a picture of Audrey and a picture of Evy at the same age. They look alot alike but at the same time VERY different. I think they are the prettiest babies in the world... I am biased.

I had to add this picture because I found it on an old chip that I hadn't downloaded. As you can tell it is a few years old, but Evy looks so dang cute! Where has the time gone?

And here is one of the two of them today. Evy insisted I take it.

AUDREY JANE IS HERE!

2009-04-28T11:07:00.003-04:00

She made her arrival on April 17th at 6:09 pm. She weighed 7lbs. 5 oz and 18 1/2 inches. The induction went off without a hitch. Sorry it has taken a while but things have been crazy. I forgot what it is like to be this tired. But we are all doing great and Evy is a great big sister. More to follow but here are some pics.

Evy's Special Day

2009-04-11T18:39:00.004-04:00

So in preparation for the coming of Audrey on Friday we decided we would have a day where we would do whatever Evy wanted. She chose to go to the Easter Egg Hunt in downtown Matthews. It was super fun. She got tons of eggs. I asked her why we celebrate Easter and she told me so Jesus could get her Easter Eggs! we then told her the real reason. It was pretty funny. We then went to Five Guys and the park. It was a fun day! Here are some of the pics we took.

I also included one of me and my belly. I am almost 38 weeks and am being induced on Friday. I am trying to get in as much naps as I possibly can. Heartburn is killing me. I have a warning for all pregnant women: never combine velveeta shells and cheese, sloppy joe meat and wash it down with 2 Krispy Kreme Doughnuts! You will be up all night wondering what possessed you to eat that combination. Let's just say say I woke up Roy with my whimpering at 3 in the morning :).

Everyone have a Happy Easter and take some time to reflect on what makes this holiday so special. And how did the egg and the Bunny end up coming together? You try explaining that to a 3 and a half year old!

Pics laying around

2009-03-25T19:52:00.004-04:00

I found some funny funny pics while I was messing with my camera. The first are of some snow men that we made while it snowed here.
This is my version of a snowman:

This is Roy's version:

Now if you are wondering if that snowman is sitting on the toilet with its pants around its ankles you would be right. This my husband's version of good family time with our daughter. Good thing I love him so much! I'm sure the neighbors loved it.

Here is a pic of Evy today. She told she she wanted to dress like a princess. When she came back from the room she was wearing this. I told her she was mixing Ariel and Snow White but she insisted she was perfect. I think she's perfect too! :)

Psychodelic False Alarm!

2009-03-25T17:47:00.002-04:00

So on Sunday I took a fun trip to the hospital. I started having pretty intense contractions. I was pretty convinced I was in labor. I got there and they hooked me up to monitors and than told me I was having contractions. I wanted to say "NO Crap!" Well after about 8 hours at the hospital and lots of medication to try to stop the contractions they decided to give me some pain medication. The nurse said it would make me feel really drunk. This made me curious. I have never been drunk before and was interested in how this would make me feel. Let me tell you, within 2 seconds of her injecting the medicine in my IV I began a psychodelic outer body experience. And just to reiterate this, Roy told me I was drooling all over myself after a minute. Now just picture that. And if that doesn't bring a smile to your face than something is wrong with you :).
Anyways... it ended up being a bladder infection. Who knew that a bladder infection could make you go into labor? I didn't! They gave me anti-biotics and sent me home. So it looks like I will be pregnant for a little while longer. But until I do go into labor I will be laughing at myself over drooling all over my face.

I'm Back!

2009-03-17T10:11:00.002-04:00

So I finally have a working computer! I am so excited and I feel reconnected to the world and regrettably reconnected with online shopping :). I will hopefully soon be posting some new stuff and maybe I'll put up some pictures of my belly, IT IS MASSIVE! And Happy St. Patrick's Day! I have an awesome imitation of an Irish accent, I wish you could hear me through the computer. My goal for the day is to speak with my Irish accent, it won't be that weird because my last name is Gallagher. Yeah I know I am a little weird.

"I love my potatoes and cabbage and sweet cream and lambies running through the field and did I mention the potatoes..." all said with an Irish accent! That's for you family!

Thoughts from Robyn

2009-01-08T10:12:00.002-05:00

So since I have been out of school these past couple of weeks it has given me time to think about things. One of the things I have been thinking the most about is that I love not being in school. For the first time in a long time I am just a mom and wife and not a student. I told Roy that I am going to be the best wife ever for a couple of months and than the baby will come and that will go away for a while. But I realized this will set a bad precedent and get him used to something that can't possibly continue :). So I have settled for being a good wife that occasionally forgets to do the laundry!

Secondly, I have remembered why I don't like being pregnant. The other day I caught a glimpse of myself naked and almost passed out. One of my rules when I am pregnant is that I must squint when I look at myself but it seems like I forgot and got a clear shot of all that is Robyn :). Man I miss my pre-preggo body. Now it has been replaced with breasts that look like they belong in National Geographic, legs that are starting to resemble tree-trunks, and a belly that still has people looking at me and wondering if I am pregnant or just enjoying the holidays too much! But alas, I know that this will eventually end and I will have a beautiful baby to thank for it. Let's just hope it goes bye fast or I am going to have to break all the mirrors in my house .... just kidding... not really.... yeah I'm kidding! And thanks to Roy for putting up with all my complaining.

And lastly, I keep thinking about my happy place. This place involves me sitting on a beach and it being very quiet except for the waves coming in. I'm lounging and of course have a rockin' body and awesome tan and a strawberry smoothie in my hand. I would love to be there right now. This rainy weather is making me want to stay in bed all day and consider the idea of never wearing a bra again, and let me tell you, that is something you do not want to see! One day I will be in my happy place but for now I will settle with no school, a happy family, a growing belly and baby and a quest to be a semi-awesome wife :)!

Christmas Pics

2009-01-05T16:09:00.003-05:00

The pictures with Evy and the snowman were taken at Sugar Mountain. I was expecting lots of snow but what we found was anything but that. Looks like mother nature was not aware of my vacation plans. Roy and Evy managed to find a little bit of snow to make a snowman. There are also some of Christmas Eve and Christmas morning. Roy got me the PEDI- EGG for Christmas. And let me tell you, it actually works. You'd think a present that shaves off your dead skin wouldn't be very Christmasy, but surprisingly its awesome. Massive points for Roy. Maybe the reason why he got it was because he was tired of getting slashed by my knife-like feet. HMMMMM?

Pics from the Holidays

2009-01-05T15:48:00.003-05:00

Here are some pics from Thanksgiving and the Turkey Trot. My brother is in some of them. He beat everyone... dang that over-achiever!

We're Having...

2008-12-21T23:47:00.003-05:00

As of a month ago, we found out we are having another girl! I was a little bummed but than my genius husband made a good point. He reminded me that now we will be less poor than we already are because we have all the girl stuff. And when I say, "less poor" I mean those were his exact words. So the idea of having another girl is sounding better and better everyday. Evy is excited to have a little sister and I am excited to be "less poor". Awwww... the wise words of my husband :)!

Halloween Pics

2008-11-15T14:22:00.004-05:00

These are really late but I'll still post them. Evy was the Little Mermaid. My favorite phrase of the night came from her when she said, "Mommy, Mermaids don't where panties!" She kept insisting that panties were unnecessary, I said other wise. I thought she looked pretty dang cute.

This is of my mom as a punk-rocker. She was getting into the posing. Doesn't she look awesome!

California Vacation

2008-10-30T13:16:00.004-04:00

We just got back from our "vacation" on Monday. We saw some family but mostly went for Roy's best friends wedding. He was the best man and Evy was the Flower girl. I wish I had taken more pictures but honestly I was too busy chasing her around while Roy watched from the ceremony. Evy looked beautiful and the wedding was great. I was just a little tired. We went to San Francisco after and ate breakfast at my favorite restaurant. By the time we actually sat down we had waited in line for 2 hours. It was worth it! My eggs were killer! We then went to the Zoo and had tons of fun. The lions were cool. There is a picture that I'll post of Evy after playing with some rocks, if you look closely she's got a dirt mustache, Roy and I thought it was pretty funny!

Here are some random pics from the weekend!

Roy and Evy dancing at the wedding.